Display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus including a substrate including a display area and a sensor area, the sensor area including a transmission portion that transmits light, a plurality of first display devices arranged in the display area, a display device group including a plurality of second display devices, the display device group being arranged in the sensor area, and a passivation layer covering the display device group and having a first hole corresponding to the transmission portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2019-0028378, filed on Mar. 12, 2019, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

Aspects of the present invention relate to a display apparatus and amethod of manufacturing the display apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Applications of conventional display devices have diversified. Moreover,their range of use has increased due, in part, to the relatively smallthickness and relatively light weight of the display apparatuses.

The area occupied by display areas of display apparatuses has increased,and various functions connected or linked to display apparatuses havebeen added to display apparatuses. To increase the display areas and toadd various functions, display apparatuses capable of having variouscomponents arranged in a display area have been researched.

SUMMARY

Aspects of some embodiments are directed to a display apparatusincluding, inside a display area, a sensor area in which a sensor andthe like may be arranged, and a method of manufacturing the displayapparatus. Additional aspects will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows and, in part, will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to some embodiments, there is provided a display apparatusincluding: a substrate including a display area and a sensor area, thesensor area including a transmission portion that transmits light; aplurality of first display devices arranged in the display area; adisplay device group including a plurality of second display devices,the display device group being arranged in the sensor area; and apassivation layer covering the display device group and having a firsthole corresponding to the transmission portion.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of second display devicesincludes a pixel electrode, an emission layer on the pixel electrode,and an opposite electrode on the emission layer.

In some embodiments, the passivation layer is on the opposite electrode,and wherein the opposite electrode has a second hole corresponding tothe transmission portion, and an area of the second hole is greater thanan area of the first hole.

In some embodiments, the passivation layer covers the display devicegroup and has first patterns spaced from each other with the first holebetween the first patterns, wherein the opposite electrode correspondsto the display device group and has second patterns spaced from eachother with the second hole between the first patterns, and wherein anend of one of the first patterns on a side of the first hole covers anend of one of the second patterns on a side of the second hole.

In some embodiments, the display apparatus further includes: an organicinsulating layer between the substrate and the pixel electrode; and apixel defining layer between the organic insulating layer and theopposite electrode and having an opening that exposes at least a portionof the pixel electrode.

In some embodiments, the pixel defining layer has a third holecorresponding to the transmission portion, and wherein the organicinsulating layer has a fourth hole corresponding to the transmissionportion.

In some embodiments, the display apparatus further includes a pluralityof insulating layers between the substrate and the organic insulatinglayer, wherein the plurality of insulating layers are below the fourthhole and has a fifth hole corresponding to the transmission portion.

In some embodiments, the display apparatus further includes anencapsulation layer on the passivation layer, the encapsulation layercovering the plurality of first display devices and the plurality ofsecond display devices and including an inorganic encapsulation layerand an organic encapsulation layer.

In some embodiments, the passivation layer includes a same material asthe inorganic encapsulation layer.

In some embodiments, the display apparatus further includes anencapsulation substrate on the passivation layer, the encapsulationsubstrate covering the plurality of first display devices and theplurality of second display devices and opposite the substrate.

In some embodiments, the display apparatus further includes a fillingmaterial filled between the passivation layer and the encapsulationsubstrate, wherein the filling material has a refractive index between arefractive index of the passivation layer and a refractive index of theencapsulation substrate.

In some embodiments, the substrate further includes an opening areasurrounded by the display area, and wherein the opening area includes ahole having a larger size than the transmission portion.

According to some embodiments, there is provided a method ofmanufacturing a display apparatus including a plurality of first displaydevices, a display device group including a plurality of second displaydevices, and a transmission portion that transmits light, the methodincluding: forming a plurality of pixel electrodes on a substrateincluding a display area in which the plurality of first display devicesare arranged and a sensor area in which the display device group and thetransmission portion are arranged; forming a pixel defining layer on theplurality of pixel electrodes, the pixel defining layer having anopening exposing at least a portion of each of the plurality of pixelelectrodes and a hole corresponding to the transmission portion; forminga sacrificial layer on the pixel defining layer; patterning thesacrificial layer such that at least some of the pixel electrodes of thedisplay device group are exposed and the hole is covered; forming apassivation layer on the patterned sacrificial layer; and forming in thepassivation layer a first hole corresponding to the transmission portionby removing the patterned sacrificial layer, wherein the passivationlayer covers the display device group and has first patterns spaced fromeach other with the first hole between the first patterns.

In some embodiments, the patterning of the sacrificial layer includes:forming a photoresist layer on the sacrificial layer; and patterning thephotoresist layer to correspond to the transmission portion, wherein thepatterned sacrificial layer is formed by using a patterned photoresistlayer such that a portion of the sacrificial layer corresponding to thetransmission portion remains.

In some embodiments, the forming of the patterned sacrificial layerincludes forming an undercut cross-section of the patterned sacrificiallayer and the patterned photoresist layer.

In some embodiments, the forming of the passivation layer on thepatterned sacrificial layer includes: forming an emission layer on theplurality of pixel electrodes and the patterned sacrificial layer;forming an opposite electrode on emission layer; and forming apassivation layer on the opposite electrode.

In some embodiments, the method further includes, before the forming ofthe plurality of pixel electrodes, forming a lower hole by removing aportion of at least one of a plurality of insulating layers formed onthe substrate, the portion corresponding to the transmission portion.

In some embodiments, the method further includes forming, on thepassivation layer, an encapsulation layer including an inorganicencapsulation layer and an organic encapsulation layer, wherein theencapsulation layer covers the display area and the sensor area.

In some embodiments, the method further includes arranging, on thepassivation layer, an encapsulation substrate opposite the substrate,wherein the encapsulation substrate covers the display area and thesensor area.

In some embodiments, the method further includes forming a fillingmaterial filled between the passivation layer and the encapsulationsubstrate, wherein the filling material has a refractive index between arefractive index of the passivation layer and a refractive index of theencapsulation substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a display apparatus accordingto an example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a display apparatus according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B′ of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a portion of a sensor area of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C′ of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display apparatusaccording to another example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display apparatusaccording to another example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display apparatusaccording to another example embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10A through 10I are cross-sectional views for describing a methodof manufacturing a display apparatus according to an example embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 11A is a schematic plan view of a display apparatus according toanother example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11B is a schematic plan view of a display apparatus according toanother example embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines D-D′ and E-E′ ofFIG. 11A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As the invention allows for various suitable changes and numerousembodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawingsand described in detail in the written description. However, this is notintended to limit the present invention to particular modes of practice,and it is to be appreciated that all changes, equivalents, andsubstitutes that do not depart from the spirit and technical scope ofthe present invention are encompassed in the present invention. In thefollowing description of the present invention, a detailed descriptionof disclosed technologies will not be provided if they are deemed tomake features of the invention obscure.

One or more embodiments will be described below in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. Those components that aresubstantially the same or are in correspondence are labeled with thesame reference numeral regardless of the figure number, and redundantexplanations may be omitted. In the drawings, the thicknesses of severallayers and areas are magnified to clearly express the layers and areas.In the drawings, thicknesses of some layers and areas are exaggeratedfor convenience of explanation.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a display apparatus 1according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, the display apparatus 1 includes a display area DAthat displays an image, and a non-display area NDA that does not displayan image. The display apparatus 1 may provide a main image by usinglight emitted from a plurality of main pixels Pm arranged in the displayarea DA.

The display apparatus 1 includes a sensor area SA. The sensor area SAmay be an area having a lower portion in which a component such as asensor using infrared light, visible light, or sound is arranged, aswill be described later with reference to FIG. 2. The sensor area SA mayinclude a transmission portion TA capable of transmitting light or/andsound that is output from a component to the outside or travels from theoutside toward the component. According to an embodiment, when infraredlight is transmitted through the sensor area SA, an infrared lighttransmittance in the sensor area SA may be about 10% or greater, forexample, 20% or greater, 25% or greater, 50% or greater, 85% or greater,or 90% or greater.

According to the present embodiment, a plurality of auxiliary pixels Pamay be arranged in the sensor area SA, and a certain image may beprovided using light emitted by the plurality of auxiliary pixels Pa. Animage provided by the sensor area SA is an auxiliary image and thus mayhave lower resolution than an image provided by the display area DA. Inother words, because the sensor area SA includes the transmissionportion TA capable of transmitting light or/and sound, the number ofauxiliary pixels Pa arranged on a unit area may be less than the numberof main pixels Pm arranged on a unit area in the display area DA.

The sensor area SA may be at least partially surrounded by the displayarea DA. According to an embodiment, FIG. 1 illustrates the sensor areaSA entirely surrounded by the display area DA.

Although an organic light-emitting display will now be illustrated anddescribed as the display apparatus 1, the display apparatus 1 is notlimited thereto. According to another embodiment, various types ofdisplay apparatuses, such as an inorganic light-emitting display and aquantum dot light-emitting display, may be used.

Although the sensor area SA is arranged on one side (e.g., the upperright side) of the display area DA having a rectangular shape in FIG. 1,embodiments are not limited thereto. The shape of the display area DAmay be a circle, an oval, or a polygon, such as a triangle or apentagon, and the location of the sensor area SA and the number ofsensor areas SA may vary.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the display apparatus 1 may include a display panel10 including a display element, and a component 20 corresponding to thesensor area SA.

The display panel 10 may include a substrate 100, a display elementlayer 200 disposed on the substrate 100, and an encapsulation layer 300being an encapsulation member that seals the display element layer 200.The display panel 10 may further include a lower protection film 175arranged below the substrate 100.

The substrate 100 may include glass or polymer resin. When the substrate100 includes polymer resin, the substrate 100 may have flexible,rollable, or bendable characteristics. The substrate 100 may have amulti-layered structure including a layer including polymer resin and aninorganic layer.

The display element layer 200 may include a circuit layer including mainand auxiliary thin-film transistors TFT and TFT′, main and auxiliaryorganic light-emitting diodes OLED and OLED′ being display elements, andinsulating layers IL and IL′. The display element layer 200 may includea circuit layer including main and auxiliary thin-film transistors TFTand TFT′, main and auxiliary organic light-emitting diodes OLED andOLED′ being display elements, and insulating layers IL and IL′.

In the display area DA, a main pixel Pm including the main thin-filmtransistor TFT and the main organic light-emitting diode OLED connectedto the main thin-film transistor TFT may be arranged. In the sensor areaSA, an auxiliary pixel Pa including the auxiliary thin-film transistorTFT′ and the auxiliary organic light-emitting diode OLED′ connected tothe auxiliary thin-film transistor TFT′, and wires WL may be arranged.

In the sensor area SA, the transmission portion TA having no auxiliarythin-film transistors TFT′ and no display elements arranged therein maybe arranged. The transmission portion TA may be understood as atransmission area that transmits light/signal emitted by the component20 or light/signal incident upon the component 20.

The component 20 may be located in the sensor area SA. The component 20may be an electronic element that uses light or sounds. For example, thecomponent 20 may be a sensor that receives and uses light, like aninfrared sensor, a sensor that outputs and senses light or sound tomeasure a distance or recognize a fingerprint or the like, a small lampthat outputs light, or a speaker that outputs sound. An electronicelement using light may use light in various wavelength bands, such asvisible light, infrared light, and ultraviolet light. A plurality ofcomponents 20 may be arranged in the sensor area SA. For example, alight-emitting device and a light-receiving device as the component 20may be both included in a single sensor area SA. In some examples, botha light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion may be includedin a single component 20.

A lower electrode layer BSM may be arranged in the sensor area SA tocorrespond to the auxiliary pixel Pa. In other words, the lowerelectrode layer BSM may be arranged to an area below the auxiliarythin-film transistor TFT′. The lower electrode layer BSM may prevent orsubstantially prevent external light from reaching the auxiliary pixelPa including the auxiliary thin-film transistor TFT′ and the like. Forexample, the lower electrode layer BSM may prevent or substantiallyprevent light emitted from the component 20 from reaching the auxiliarypixel Pa. A static voltage or a signal is applied to the lower electrodelayer BSM, and thus the lower electrode layer BSM may prevent orsubstantially prevent a pixel circuit from being damaged byelectrostatic discharge.

The encapsulation layer 300 may include at least one inorganicencapsulation layer and at least one organic encapsulation layer. Withregard to this, FIG. 2 illustrates first and second inorganicencapsulation layers 310 and 330 and an organic encapsulation layer 320therebetween.

The first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 310 and 330 mayinclude at least one inorganic insulating material, such as aluminumoxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, hafnium oxide, zinc oxide,silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and/or the like. Theorganic encapsulation layer 320 may include a polymer-based material.Examples of the polymer-based material may include acrylic resin, epoxyresin, polyimide, and polyethylene.

The lower protection film 175 may be attached to a lower surface of thesubstrate 100 and may support and protect the substrate 100. The lowerprotection film 175 may include an opening 175OP corresponding to thesensor area SA. The lower protection film 175 may improve the lighttransmittance of the sensor area SA by including the opening 175OP. Thelower protection film 175 may include polyethylene terephthalate (PET)or polyimide (PI).

The sensor area SA may have a larger area than an area where thecomponent 20 is arranged. Accordingly, the area of the opening 175OPincluded in the lower protection film 175 may not be identical with thearea of the sensor area SA. For example, the area of the opening 175OPmay be less than the area of the sensor area SA.

A component(s), such as an input sensing member for sensing a touchinput, an anti-reflection member including a polarizer and a retarder,or a color filter and a black matrix, and a transparent window, may bearranged on the display panel 10.

According to the present embodiment, the encapsulation layer 300 is usedas an encapsulation member that seals the display element layer 200, butembodiments are not limited thereto. For example, an encapsulationsubstrate coupled with the substrate 100 by a sealant or frit may beused as a member that seals the display element layer 200.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the display panel 10 according to anembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3, the display panel 10 is arranged in the displayarea DA and includes a plurality of main pixels Pm. Each of the mainpixels Pm may include a display element such as an organiclight-emitting diode. Each of the main pixels Pm may emit, for example,red light, green light, blue light, or white light, via the organiclight-emitting diode. The main pixel Pm used herein may be understood asa pixel that emits one of red light, green light, blue light, and whitelight as described above. The display area DA may be protected fromambient air or moisture by being covered by the encapsulation memberdescribed above with reference to FIG. 2.

The sensor area SA may be arranged inside the display area DA, and aplurality of auxiliary pixels Pa are arranged in the sensor area SA.Each of the auxiliary pixels Pa may include a display element such as anorganic light-emitting diode. Each of the auxiliary pixels Pa may emit,for example, red light, green light, blue light, or white light, via theorganic light-emitting diode. The auxiliary pixel Pa used herein may beunderstood as a pixel that emits one of red light, green light, bluelight, and white light as described above. In the sensor area SA, atransmission portion TA arranged between the auxiliary pixels Pa may beincluded.

According to an embodiment, one main pixel Pm and one auxiliary pixel Pamay include the same pixel circuit. However, embodiments are not limitedthereto. The main pixel Pm and the auxiliary pixel Pa may includedifferent pixel circuits.

Because the sensor area SA includes the transmission portion TA, thesensor area SA may have smaller resolution than the display area DA. Forexample, the resolution of the sensor area SA may be about ½ of theresolution of the display area DA. According to some embodiments, thedisplay area DA may have a resolution of 400 ppi or greater, and thesensor area SA may have a resolution of about 200 ppi.

Each of the main and auxiliary pixels Pm and Pa may be electricallyconnected to outer circuits arranged in the non-display area NDA. In thenon-display area NDA, a first scan driving circuit 110, a second scandriving circuit 120, a terminal 140, a data driving circuit 150, a firstpower supply line 160, and a second power supply line 170 may bearranged.

For example, the first scan driving circuit 110 may provide a scansignal to each of the main and auxiliary pixels Pm and Pa via a scanline SL. The first scan driving circuit 110 may provide a light-emissioncontrol signal to each pixel via a light-emission control line EL. Thesecond scan driving circuit 120 may be arranged side by side with thefirst scan driving circuit 110 with the display area DA therebetween.Some of the main and auxiliary pixels Pm and Pa arranged in the displayarea DA may be electrically connected to the first scan driving circuit110, and the others may be electrically connected to the second scandriving circuit 120. According to another embodiment, the second scandriving circuit 120 may not be included.

The terminal 140 may be disposed on one side of the substrate 100. Theterminal 140 may be exposed without being covered by an insulatinglayer, and may be electrically connected to a printed circuit board PCB.A terminal PCB-P of the printed circuit board PCB may be electricallyconnected to the terminal 140 of the display panel 10. The printedcircuit board PCB transmits a signal or power of a controller to thedisplay panel 10. A control signal generated by the controller may betransmitted to each of the first and second scan driving circuits 110and 120 via the printed circuit board PCB. The controller may providefirst and second power supply voltages ELVDD and ELVSS to the first andsecond power supply lines 160 and 170 via first and second connectionlines 161 and 171, respectively. The first power supply voltage ELVDDmay be provided to each of the main and auxiliary pixels Pm and Pa via adriving voltage line PL connected to the first power supply line 160,and the second power supply voltage ELVSS may be provided to an oppositeelectrode of each of the main and auxiliary pixels Pm and Pa connectedto the second power supply line 170.

The data driving circuit 150 is electrically connected to a data lineDL. A data signal of the data driving circuit 150 may be provided toeach of the main and auxiliary pixels Pm and Pa via a connection line151 connected to the terminal 140 and the data line DL connected to theconnection line 151. In FIG. 3, the data driving circuit 150 is arrangedon the printed circuit board PCB. However, according to anotherembodiment, the data driving circuit 150 may be arranged on thesubstrate 100. For example, the data driving circuit 150 may be betweenthe terminal 140 and the first power supply line 160.

The first power supply line 160 may include a first sub-wire 162 and asecond sub-wire 163 each extending in an x direction to be parallel toeach other with the display area DA therebetween. The second powersupply line 170 may partially surround the display area DA by having aloop shape of which one side is open.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B′ of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, a thin-film transistor TFT, a storage capacitorCst, and a pixel electrode 221 electrically connected to the thin-filmtransistor TFT and the storage capacitor Cst are arranged on the displayarea DA of the substrate 100.

The substrate 100 may include polymer resin or glass. For example, thesubstrate 100 may include polymer resin, such as polyethersulphone,polyacrylate, polyetherimide, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethyeleneterephthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyallylate, polyimide,polycarbonate, cellulose triacetate, cellulose acetate propionate,and/or the like. Thus, the substrate 100 may be flexible. Theaforementioned polymer resin may be transparent.

The substrate 100 may include multiple layers, For example, thesubstrate 100 may include a barrier layer that prevents or substantiallyprevents infiltration of a foreign material, in addition to a layerincluding the aforementioned polymer resin. The barrier layer may be asingle layer or multi-layer including an inorganic material, such assilicon nitride (SiNx) and/or silicon oxide (SiOx).

According to another embodiment, the substrate 100 may include a glassmaterial containing SiO2 as a main component, or may include resin suchas reinforced plastic. The substrate 100 may be rigid. The substrate 100may have a structure in which the barrier layer is stacked on the layerincluding the aforementioned polymer resin. In this case, the substrate100 may have improved flexibility. The barrier layer may include, forexample, silicon nitride (SiNx), silicon oxynitride (SiON), and/orsilicon oxide (SiOx).

A buffer layer 111 to prevent or substantially prevent infiltration ofimpurities into a semiconductor layer A1 of the thin-film transistor TFTmay be arranged on the substrate 100. The buffer layer 111 may includean inorganic insulating material, such as silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, silicon oxide, or the like, and may be a single layer ormultiple layers including the inorganic insulating material. The bufferlayer 111 may include a first buffer layer 111 a and a second bufferlayer 111 b, one of which is stacked on the other.

A pixel circuit including the thin-film transistor TFT and the storagecapacitor Cst is positioned on the buffer layer 111. The thin-filmtransistor TFT may include the semiconductor layer A1, a gate electrodeG1, a source electrode S1, and a drain electrode D1. The thin-filmtransistor TFT of FIG. 4 may correspond to a driving thin-filmtransistor or a light-emission control thin-film transistor. Accordingto the present embodiment, the thin-film transistor TFT is a top gatetype in which the gate electrode G1 is arranged on the semiconductorlayer A1 with a first gate insulating layer 112 therebetween. However,according to another embodiment, the thin-film transistor TFT may be abottom gate type.

The semiconductor layer A1 may include polysilicon. In some examples,the semiconductor layer A1 may include, for example, amorphous silicon,an oxide semiconductor, or an organic semiconductor. The gate electrodeG1 may include a low resistance metal material. The gate electrode G1may include a conductive material including, for example, molybdenum(Mo), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), and/or the like, andmay be formed as a multi-layer or single layer including theaforementioned materials.

The first gate insulating layer 112 between the semiconductor layer A1and the gate electrode G1 may include an inorganic insulating material,such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, aluminumoxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, hafnium oxide, and/or the like.The first gate insulating layer 112 may be a single layer or multi-layerincluding the aforementioned materials.

The source electrode S1 and the drain electrode D1 may include a highlyconductive material. Each of the source electrode S1 and the drainelectrode D1 may include a conductive material including, for example,Mo, Al, Cu, Ti, and/or the like, and may be a multi-layer or singlelayer including the aforementioned materials. According to anembodiment, each of the source electrode S1 and the drain electrode D1may be formed as a multi-layer of Ti/Al/Ti.

The storage capacitor Cst includes a lower electrode CE1 and an upperelectrode CE2 with a second gate insulating layer 113 therebetween. Thelower electrode CE1 and the upper electrode CE2 overlap each other. Thestorage capacitor Cst may be overlapped with the thin-film transistorTFT. With regard to this, FIG. 4 illustrates a case where the gateelectrode G1 of the thin-film transistor TFT is the lower electrode CE1of the storage capacitor Cst. According to another embodiment, thestorage capacitor Cst may not be overlapped with the thin-filmtransistor TFT. The storage capacitor Cst may be covered by aninterlayer insulating layer 115.

The second gate insulating layer 113 and the interlayer insulating layer115 may include an inorganic insulating material, such as silicon oxide,silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide,tantalum oxide, hafnium oxide, and/or the like. The second gateinsulating layer 113 and the interlayer insulating layer 115 may be asingle layer or multi-layer including the aforementioned materials.

The pixel circuit including the thin-film transistor TFT and the storagecapacitor Cst may be covered by a planarization layer 117. An uppersurface of the planarization layer 117 may include an approximately flatsurface. The planarization layer 117 may include an organic insulatingmaterial, such as polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, a polymerderivative having a phenol-based group, an acryl-based polymer, animide-based polymer, an acryl ether-based polymer, an amide-basedpolymer, a fluorine-based polymer, a p-xylene-based polymer, a vinylalcohol-based polymer, or a blend thereof. According to an embodiment,the planarization layer 117 may include polyimide. In some examples, theplanarization layer 117 may include an inorganic insulating material ormay include an inorganic insulating material and an organic insulatingmaterial.

The pixel electrode 221 may be on the planarization layer 117. The pixelelectrode 221 may include conductive oxide, such as indium tin oxide(ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium oxide (In₂O3),indium gallium oxide (IGO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), and/or the like.According to another embodiment, the pixel electrode 221 may include areflection layer including, for example, silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg),aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), gold (Au), nickel (Ni),neodymium (Nd), iridium (Ir), chromium (Cr), and/or the like, or acompound of these materials. According to another embodiment, the pixelelectrode 221 may further include a film formed of ITO, IZO, ZnO, In2O3,and/or the like above/below the aforementioned reflection layer.

A pixel defining layer 119 may be arranged on the pixel electrode 221.The pixel defining layer 119 may include an opening through which anupper surface of the pixel electrode 221 is exposed, and may cover anedge of the pixel electrode 221. The pixel defining layer 119 mayinclude an organic insulating material. In some examples, the pixeldefining layer 119 may include an inorganic insulating material, such assilicon nitride (SiNx), silicon oxynitride (SiON), silicon oxide (SiOx),or the like. In some examples, the pixel defining layer 119 may includean organic insulating material and an inorganic insulating material.

An intermediate layer 222 includes an emission layer. The intermediatelayer 222 may include a first functional layer below the emission layer,and/or a second functional layer above the emission layer. The emissionlayer may include a low molecular or high molecular organic materialthat emits light of a certain color.

The first functional layer may be a single layer or a multi-layer. Forexample, when the first functional layer is formed of a high molecularweight material, the first functional layer is a hole transport layer(HTL) having a single-layer structure, and may includepoly-(3,4)-ethylene-dihydroxy thiophene (PEDOT) or polyaniline (PANI).On the other hand, when the first functional layer is formed of a lowmolecular weight material, the first functional layer may include a holeinjection layer (HIL) and an HTL.

The second functional layer may be optional. For example, when the firstfunctional layer and the emission layer are formed of a high molecularweight material, the second functional layer may be formed. The secondfunctional layer may be a single layer or a multi-layer. The secondfunctional layer may include an electron transport layer (ETL), and/oran electron injection layer (EIL).

The first and second functional layers of the intermediate layer 222 maybe commonly formed in all pixels. The emission layer of the intermediatelayer 222 may be arranged individually for each pixel in the displayarea DA. The emission layer may be arranged within an opening of thepixel defining layer 119.

An opposite electrode 223 may be formed of a conductive material havinga low work function. For example, the opposite electrode 223 may includea (semi)transparent layer including, for example, silver (Ag), magnesium(Mg), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), gold (Au), nickel(Ni), neodymium (Nd), iridium (Ir), chromium (Cr), lithium (Li), calcium(Ca), and/or the like, or an alloy of these materials. In some examples,the opposite electrode 223 may further include a layer, such as ITO,IZO, ZnO, In₂O₃, or the like, on the (semi)transparent layer includingany of the above-described materials. The opposite electrode 223 may beformed commonly for all pixels and may be arranged in the display areaDA and in the sensor area SA of FIG. 1. The intermediate layer 222 andthe opposite electrode 223 may be formed via thermal deposition.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a portion of the sensor area SA ofFIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C′of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 5, auxiliary pixels Pa and transmission portions TAare arranged in the sensor area SA of the display apparatus 1 accordingto an embodiment. In this case, in each of the auxiliary pixels Pa, anauxiliary organic light-emitting diode OLED′ of FIG. 6 electricallyconnected to a thin-film transistor TFT′ of FIG. 6 and a storagecapacitor Cst′ of FIG. 6 may be arranged as a second display device.

Certain auxiliary pixels Pa may be consecutively arranged to constitutea single pixel group Pg. In other words, one or more auxiliary pixels Pamay be included in the pixel group Pg, and the pixel group Pg may beunderstood as a display device group which is an assembly of seconddisplay devices included in the auxiliary pixels Pa.

FIG. 5 illustrates four auxiliary pixels Pa arranged in two rows withinone pixel group Pg. However, embodiments are not limited thereto. Thenumber of auxiliary pixels Pa included in each pixel group Pg and anarrangement of the auxiliary pixels Pa may vary. For example, threeauxiliary pixels Pa arranged in one row may be included in each pixelgroup Pg.

Each transmission portion TA is an area having a high lighttransmittance because no display elements are arranged therein, and aplurality of transmission portions TA may be included in the sensor areaSA. The transmission portions TA may alternate with pixel groups Pg in afirst direction (x direction) and/or a second direction (y direction).In some examples, transmission portions TA may be arranged to surround apixel group Pg. In some examples, auxiliary pixels Pa may be arranged tosurround a transmission portion TA.

According to the present embodiment, a passivation layer 310 coveringthe auxiliary pixels Pa is arranged in the sensor area SA. Thepassivation layer 310 may have first patterns 310 p spaced apart fromeach other with a first hole H1 therebetween, and each of the firstpatterns 310 p may be arranged for each pixel group Pg to cover acorresponding pixel group Pg.

The passivation layer 310 protects the auxiliary pixels Pa from ambientair or moisture and/or prevents or substantially prevents damage frombeing generated in the auxiliary pixels Pa in a subsequent process.

Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of auxiliary pixels Pa and a pluralityof transmission portions TA may be arranged in the sensor area SA of thedisplay apparatus 1 according to an embodiment.

Each auxiliary pixel Pa may include an auxiliary thin-film transistorTFT′ and an auxiliary storage capacitor Cst′, and may further include anauxiliary organic light-emitting diode OLED′ as a second display device.Each transmission portion TA may include a transmission hole TAH tocorrespond to the transmission portion TA.

The structures of the auxiliary thin-film transistor TFT′, the auxiliarystorage capacitor Cst′, and the auxiliary organic light-emitting diodeOLED′ as components of each auxiliary pixel Pa are the same as orsimilar to the structures of the main thin-film transistor TFT, the mainstorage capacitor Cst, and the main organic light-emitting diode OLEDdescribed above with reference to FIG. 4 being components of each mainpixel Pm. A difference between the components of the auxiliary pixel Paand those of the main pixel Pm will now be focused on and described Forexample.

In the sensor area SA, the lower electrode layer BSM may be locatedbetween the first buffer layer 111 a and the second buffer layer 111 b.According to another embodiment, the lower electrode layer BSM may belocated between the substrate 100 and the first buffer layer 111 a. Thelower electrode layer BSM may be located below the auxiliary thin-filmtransistor TFT′ and may prevent characteristics of the auxiliarythin-film transistor TFT′ from degrading due to light emitted from, forexample, the component 20.

The lower electrode layer BSM may be connected to a wire arranged on adifferent layer, for example, the driving voltage line PL through acontact hole. The lower electrode layer BSM may receive a static voltageor a signal from the driving voltage line PL. For example, the lowerelectrode layer BSM may receive a first power supply voltage ELVDD or ascan signal. As the lower electrode layer BSM receives a static voltageor a signal, the probability that electrostatic discharge occurs may besignificantly reduced. The lower electrode layer BSM may includealuminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), magnesium(Mg), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), iridium (Ir), chromium(Cr), molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), copper (Cu), and/orthe like. The lower electrode layer BSM may be a single layer ormulti-layer including the aforementioned materials.

The lower electrode layer BSM may overlap a semiconductor layer A1′ withthe second buffer layer 111 b therebetween. According to an embodiment,a width of the semiconductor layer A1′ may be less than a width of thelower electrode layer BSM. Accordingly, when projection is performed ina direction perpendicular to the substrate 100, the semiconductor layerA1′ may entirely overlap the lower electrode layer BSM.

The planarization layer 117 may have a fourth hole H4 corresponding toeach transmission portion TA. The fourth hole H4 may be formed to exposean upper surface of the interlayer insulating layer 115. According to anembodiment, the planarization layer 117 may be an organic insulatinglayer including an organic material.

The pixel defining layer 119 may have a third hole H3 corresponding toeach transmission portion TA, in addition to an opening OP2 exposing atleast a portion of each pixel electrode 221′, in order to define alight-emission area of each pixel. Accordingly, the fourth hole H4 ofthe planarization layer 117 is located below the third hole H3 of thepixel defining layer 119. According to an embodiment, the pixel defininglayer 119 may include an organic insulating material.

An intermediate layer 222′ including an organic emission layer may bearranged on the pixel electrode 221′, and the opposite electrode 223 maybe arranged on the intermediate layer 222′.

The opposite electrode 223 is arranged to cover at least a portion of aninner sidewall of the fourth hole H4 of the planarization layer 117 andat least a portion of an inner sidewall of the third hole H3 of thepixel defining layer 119, and thus the opposite electrode 223 may have asecond hole H2 corresponding to the transmission portion TA.

The second hole H2 of the opposite electrode 223 may be located insidethe fourth hole H4 and the third hole H3 by a thickness with which theopposite electrode 223 covers the fourth hole H4 and the third hole H3.Similar to the fourth hole H4, the second hole H2 may expose the uppersurface of the interlayer insulating layer 115.

The opposite electrode 223 may be arranged to cover a pixel group Pgincluding a plurality of auxiliary pixels Pa. For example, the oppositeelectrode 223 may have second patterns 223 p spaced apart from eachother with the second hole H2 therebetween, and each of the secondpatterns 223 p may be arranged for each pixel group Pg to cover acorresponding pixel group Pg.

A second pattern 223 p of the opposite electrode 223 that covers thepixel group Pg may be formed to have a thickness that decreases in adirection toward an end of the second pattern 223 p, namely, in adirection toward the upper surface of the interlayer insulating layer115.

The passivation layer 310 may be arranged on the second pattern 223 p ofthe opposite electrode 223. The passivation layer 310 is arranged tocover an inner sidewall of the second hole H2 of the opposite electrode223, and thus has a first hole H1 corresponding to the transmissionportion TA.

The first hole H1 of the passivation layer 310 may be located inside thesecond hole H2 by a thickness with which the passivation layer 310covers the inner sidewall of the second hole H2. Similar to the secondhole H2 of the opposite electrode 223 and the fourth hole H4 of theplanarization layer 117, the first hole H1 may expose the upper surfaceof the interlayer insulating layer 115. According to the presentembodiment, the first hole H1 of the passivation layer 310 may be thetransmission hole TAH of the transmission portion TA.

Similar to the opposite electrode 223, the passivation layer 310 may bearranged to cover a pixel group Pg including a plurality of auxiliarypixels Pa. For example, the passivation layer 310 may have the firstpatterns 310 p spaced apart from each other with the first hole H1therebetween, and each of the first patterns 310 p may be arranged foreach pixel group Pg to cover a corresponding pixel group Pg.

A first pattern 310 p of the passivation layer 310 that covers the pixelgroup Pg may be formed to have a thickness that decreases in a directiontoward an end of the first pattern 310 p, namely, in a direction towardthe upper surface of the interlayer insulating layer 115.

As described above with reference to FIG. 5, the passivation layer 310may protect the auxiliary pixels Pa from an external environment or anenvironment of a subsequent process. To this end, the passivation layer310 may be arranged to cover an area corresponding to the entiresurfaces of the inner sidewalls of the third and fourth holes H3 and H4of the pixel defining layer 119 and the planarization layer 117 bothincluding an organic material. An end of the first pattern 310 p of thepassivation layer 310 on the side of the first hole H1 may be formed tocover an end of the second pattern 223 p of the opposite electrode 223on the side of the second hole H2, and thus may prevent or substantiallyreduce infiltration of, for example, moisture or impurities into theintermediate layer 222′ via the end on the side of the second hole H2.

As described above, as the third and fourth holes H3 and H4 are formedin the pixel defining layer 119 and the planarization layer 117,insulating layers including an organic material may be removed from thearea of the transmission portion TA, and thus the light transmittance inthe transmission portion TA may improve.

An encapsulation layer 300 including an inorganic encapsulation layerand an organic encapsulation layer may be arranged on the passivationlayer 310. With respect to this, FIG. 6 illustrates the encapsulationlayer 300 having a structure in which the first inorganic encapsulationlayer 310, the organic encapsulation layer 320, and the second inorganicencapsulation layer 330 are stacked, and the passivation layer 310functioning as the first inorganic encapsulation layer 310, which is alowest layer of the encapsulation layer 300. According to anotherembodiment, the number of organic encapsulation layers, the number ofinorganic encapsulation layers, and the order in which organicencapsulation layers and inorganic encapsulation layers are stacked mayvary, and the passivation layer 310 may also include a plurality oflayers.

According to the present embodiment, the passivation layer 310functioning as the first inorganic encapsulation layer 310 may includeat least one inorganic insulating material, such as at least one ofaluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, hafnium oxide, zincoxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and may beformed via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or the like.

The passivation layer 310 corresponding to the first inorganicencapsulation layer 310, the organic encapsulation layer 320, and thesecond inorganic encapsulation layer 330 may be integrally formed tocover the sensor area SA and the display area DA of FIG. 3. As theorganic encapsulation layer 320 is arranged between the passivationlayer 310 and the second inorganic encapsulation layer 330, the organicencapsulation layer 320 may be arranged within the transmission holeTAH.

According to another embodiment, the organic encapsulation layer 320 maybe integrally formed to cover the display area DA and the sensor areaSA, but may not exist in the transmission portion TA. In other words,the organic encapsulation layer 320 may include a hole corresponding tothe transmission portion TA. In this case, the first inorganicencapsulation layer 310 and the second inorganic encapsulation layer 330may contact each other within the transmission hole TAH.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display apparatusaccording to another embodiment.

The embodiment of FIG. 7 has the same structure as or a similarstructure to the embodiment of FIG. 6 except that a depth of thetransmission hole TAH corresponding to the transmission portion TA isincreased. Accordingly, the embodiment of FIG. 7 will now be describedin detail by focusing on differences with the embodiment of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 7, a fourth hole H4 may be formed in the planarizationlayer 117, a third hole H3 may be formed in the pixel defining layer119, and the locations and shapes of the third and fourth holes H3 andH4 are as described above with reference to FIG. 6.

However, according to the present embodiment, like the pixel defininglayer 119 and the planarization layer 117 both capable of including anorganic material, an inorganic insulating layer IL such as the firstgate insulating layer 112, the second gate insulating layer 113, and theinterlayer insulating layer 115, may also include a hole correspondingto the transmission portion TA. The buffer layer 111 located below theinorganic insulating layer IL may also include a hole corresponding toeach transmission portion TA.

According to an embodiment, the inorganic insulating layer IL and thebuffer layer 111 may have a fifth hole H5 corresponding to eachtransmission portion TA. The inorganic insulating layer IL and thebuffer layer 111 may be simultaneously perforated, and thus the fifthhole H5 may be formed via a single process. Dry etching or the like maybe used as the single process.

Thus, the fifth hole H5 may be located below the fourth hole H4 of theplanarization layer 117, and may expose an upper surface of thesubstrate 100 or an upper surface of a barrier layer between thesubstrate 100 and the buffer layer 111.

However, the fifth hole H5 is not limited to a hole that penetratesthrough from the buffer layer 111 to the interlayer insulating layer 115via the first gate insulating layer 112 and the second gate insulatinglayer 113, and the fifth hole H5 may be a hole extending from the fourthhole H4 to at least one of the interlayer insulating layer 115, thesecond gate insulating layer 113, the first gate insulating layer 112,the second buffer layer 112 a, and the first buffer layer 111 a.

According to the present embodiment, the opposite electrode 223 isarranged to cover the fourth hole H4 of the planarization layer 117, thethird hole H3 of the pixel defining layer 119, and at least a portion ofan inner sidewall of the fifth hole H5 of the inorganic insulating layerIL and the buffer layer 111, and thus the opposite electrode 223 mayhave a second hole H2 corresponding to the transmission portion TA.

The opposite electrode 223 may have second patterns 223 p spaced apartfrom each other with the second hole H2 therebetween, and each of thesecond patterns 223 p may be arranged for each pixel group Pg to cover acorresponding pixel group Pg.

A second pattern 223 p of the opposite electrode 223 that covers thepixel group Pg may be formed to have a thickness that decreases in adirection toward an end of the second pattern 223 p, namely, in adirection toward the upper surface of the interlayer insulating layer115.

The passivation layer 310 may be arranged on the second pattern 223 p ofthe opposite electrode 223. The passivation layer 310 is arranged tocover an inner sidewall of the second hole H2 of the opposite electrode223, and thus has a first hole H1 corresponding to the transmissionportion TA. Also, according to the present embodiment, the first hole H1of the passivation layer 310 may be the transmission hole TAH of thetransmission portion TA.

Similar to the opposite electrode 223, the passivation layer 310 mayhave first patterns 310 p spaced apart from each other with the firsthole H1 therebetween, and each of the first patterns 310 p may bearranged for each pixel group Pg to cover a corresponding pixel groupPg.

A first pattern 310 p of the passivation layer 310 that covers the pixelgroup Pg may be formed to have a thickness that decreases in a directiontoward an end of the first pattern 310 p, namely, in a direction towardthe upper surface of the substrate 100.

The passivation layer 310 may be arranged to cover the entire areas ofthe third and fourth holes H3 and H4 of the pixel defining layer 119 andthe planarization layer 117 including an organic material, and theentire area of the fifth hole H5 formed in the inorganic insulatinglayer IL and the buffer layer 111.

According to the present embodiment, as holes are formed in the pixeldefining layer 119, the planarization layer 117, and the inorganicinsulating layer IL and the buffer layer 111, most of the layers on thesubstrate 100, excluding the substrate 100, may be removed from the areaof the transmission portion TA, and thus the light transmittance in thetransmission portion TA may improve.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are schematic cross-sectional views of display apparatusesaccording to other embodiments.

The embodiment of FIG. 8 has the same structure as or a similarstructure to the embodiment of FIG. 6 except that an encapsulationsubstrate 300 a instead of the encapsulation layer 300 encapsulates thedisplay area DA of FIG. 3 and the sensor area SA. Accordingly, theembodiment of FIG. 8 will now be described in detail by focusing ondifferences with the embodiment of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 8, the main organic light-emitting diode OLED of FIG.4 of the display area of FIG. 3 and the auxiliary organic light-emittingdiode OLED′ of the sensor area SA may be covered by the encapsulationsubstrate 300 a. The encapsulation substrate 300 a includes atransparent material. For example, the encapsulation substrate 300 a mayinclude a glass material. In some examples, the encapsulation substrate300 a may include, for example, polymer resin. The encapsulationsubstrate 300 a may prevent or substantially reduce infiltration ofexternal moisture or foreign materials into the main organiclight-emitting diode OLED and the auxiliary organic light-emitting diodeOLED′.

A sealing material, such as a sealant, may be arranged between thesubstrate 100 having the main organic light-emitting diode OLED and theauxiliary organic light-emitting diode OLED′ formed thereon and theencapsulation substrate 300 a. The sealing material may block externalmoisture or foreign materials that may permeate between the substrate100 and the encapsulation substrate 300 a.

According to the present embodiment, an empty space may be formedbetween the passivation layer 310 and the encapsulation substrate 300 a,and thus a spacer or the like may be further included on the entire areaof the display apparatus such that a distance between the substrate 100and the encapsulation substrate 300 a may be constantly maintained.

The embodiment of FIG. 9 has the same structure as or a similarstructure to the embodiment of FIG. 8 except that the passivation layer310 and the encapsulation substrate 300 a are filled with a fillingmaterial 300 b. Accordingly, the embodiment of FIG. 9 will now bedescribed in detail by focusing on differences with the embodiment ofFIG. 8.

Referring to FIG. 9, the filling material 300 b may fill a space betweenthe passivation layer 310 and the encapsulation substrate 300 a.

The filling material 300 b may have various functions. According to anembodiment, the filling material 300 b may reduce reflection of lightemitted from the auxiliary organic light-emitting diode OLED′ by a lowersurface of the encapsulation substrate 300 a (surface opposite to thesubstrate 100). To this end, the filling material 300 b may have arefractive index between a refractive index of the passivation layer 310and that of the encapsulation substrate 300 a.

According to an embodiment, the filling material 300 b may be asilicon-based resin, and may have a refractive index of about 1.5 toabout 1.6.

In addition, the filling material 300 b may serve as a buffer materialpreventing or substantially preventing the auxiliary organiclight-emitting diode OLED′ and the like from being damaged by externalimpacts. In this case, a component such as the spacer included in theembodiment of FIG. 8 may not be included.

The filling material 300 b may be integrally formed to cover the sensorarea SA and the display area DA of FIG. 3. As the filling material 300 bis arranged between the passivation layer 310 and the encapsulationsubstrate 300 a, the filling material 300 b may be arranged within thetransmission hole TAH.

According to another embodiment, the filling material 300 b may beformed to cover the sensor area SA except for the display area DA ofFIG. 3.

According to another embodiment, the filling material 300 b may beformed to cover the sensor area SA but may not exist in the transmissionportion TA. In other words, the filling material 300 b may include ahole corresponding to the transmission portion TA.

A method of manufacturing the display apparatus 1 according to theembodiment of FIG. 6 will now be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 10A through 10I.

FIGS. 10A through 10I are cross-sectional views for describing a methodof manufacturing a display apparatus according to an embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 10A, a backplane corresponding to the sensorarea SA of the display apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 is prepared for. Thebackplane may be understood as including at least the substrate 100, thepixel electrodes 221′ formed on the substrate 100, and the pixeldefining layer 119 exposing at least a portion of each of the pixelelectrodes 221′, wherein the at least portion includes a center portion.The pixel defining layer 119 may protrude farther than the pixelelectrodes 221′ with respect to the substrate 100.

For example, the pixel electrodes 221′ are formed on the planarizationlayer 117, and the pixel defining layer 119 is formed on the pixelelectrodes 221′ and the planarization layer 117 such that a height fromthe planarization layer 117 to an upper surface of the pixel defininglayer 119 is greater than a height from the planarization layer 117 toupper surfaces of the pixel electrodes 221′.

An opening exposing at least a portion of each of the pixel electrodes221′ and the third hole H3 corresponding to the transmission portion TAof FIG. 6 are formed in the pixel defining layer 119. The fourth hole H4corresponding to the transmission portion TA of FIG. 6 may be formed inthe planarization layer 117 below the pixel defining layer 119. Thethird and fourth holes H3 and H4 may be formed in the pixel defininglayer 119 and the planarization layer 117 by using any of severalmethods, one of which is a photoresist process which will be describedlater with reference to FIGS. 10C through 10E may be used.

In addition to the pixel defining layer 119 and the planarization layer117 having the third and fourth holes H3 and H4 corresponding to thetransmission portion TA of FIG. 6, at least one layer from among thelayers below the planarization layer 117, for example, the interlayerinsulating layer 115, the second gate insulating layer 113, the firstgate insulating layer 112, the second buffer layer 111 b, and the firstbuffer layer 111 a, may also have a hole corresponding to thetransmission area TA of FIG. 6.

In the backplane, the auxiliary thin-film transistor TFT′ or theauxiliary storage capacitor Cst′ may be formed on the substrate 100. Thebackplane may further include, for example, the buffer layer 111 forpreventing impurities from permeating into the semiconductor layer A1′of the auxiliary thin-film transistor TFT′, the first and second gateinsulating layers 112 and 113 for insulating the semiconductor layer A1′of the auxiliary thin-film transistor TFT′ from the gate electrode G1′,the interlayer insulating layer 115 for insulating source and drainelectrodes of the thin-film transistor TFT′ from a gate electrodethereof, and the planarization layer 117 for covering the thin-filmtransistor TFT′ and having an approximately flat upper surface.

Although the backplane corresponds to the sensor area SA of thesubstrate 100 in FIG. 10A, the backplane may be an extension to thedisplay area DA of FIG. 1 of the substrate 100. In other words, thebackplane of the auxiliary pixels Pa arranged in the sensor area SA anda backplane of the main pixels Pm of FIG. 1 arranged in the display areaDA of FIG. 1 may be formed via the same process.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, a sacrificial layer SL is formed tocorrespond to the pixel electrodes 221′ and the pixel defining layer119. As shown in FIG. 10C, a photoresist layer PR is formed on thesacrificial layer SL.

The sacrificial layer SL may include highly-fluorinated resin orfluorinated polymer (or fluoropolymer) containing 20 wt % to 60 wt %fluorine. This material may have a significant amount of fluorinatedcarbon that does not physically/chemically react with a material of theemission layer included in the intermediate layer 222′ of FIG. 6. Thus,when the intermediate layer 222′ of FIG. 6 including an emission layeris formed during a subsequent process (see FIG. 10F), the material maynot damage the intermediate layer 222′ of FIG. 6, or, even if damageoccurs, the degree of the damage may be reduced or minimized. Thesacrificial layer SL may be formed on the substrate 100 by, for example,coating, printing, or deposition.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10D, the photoresist layer PR of FIG. 10C formedon the sacrificial layer SL is partially exposed and developed using aphotomask or the like to thereby form a patterned photoresist layer PRa.

In this operation, a portion of the photoresist layer PR of FIG. 10Cthat corresponds to the transmission portion TA of FIG. 6 remains, and aportion of the photoresist layer PR of FIG. 10C that corresponds to theauxiliary pixels Pa is removed. The patterned photoresist layer PRa maybe formed to have a larger width in the x direction than thetransmission portion TA of FIG. 6.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10E, the sacrificial layer SL of FIG. 10D ispatterned using the patterned photoresist layer PRa as a mask to therebyform a patterned sacrificial layer SLa.

Similar to the previous operation (see FIG. 10D), in this operation, aportion of the sacrificial layer SL of FIG. 10D that corresponds to thetransmission portion TA of FIG. 6 remains, and a portion of thesacrificial layer SL of FIG. 10D that corresponds to the auxiliarypixels Pa is removed. At this time, a plurality of auxiliary pixels Paform a pixel group Pg. A width of the patterned sacrificial layer SLa inthe x direction may be almost the same as that of the transmission holeTAH of FIG. 6 in the x direction.

When the sacrificial layer SL of FIG. 10D is removed, a solvent capableof etching fluoropolymer included in the sacrificial layer SL of FIG.10D may be used. Examples of the solvent may include hydrofluoroethers(HFEs).

The patterned sacrificial layer SLa formed in this operation and thepatterned photoresist layer PRa located on the patterned sacrificiallayer SLa form an undercut cross-section UC. For example, the patternedphotoresist layer PRa may be formed to have a greater width in the xdirection than the patterned sacrificial layer SLa, and thus theundercut cross-section UC may be formed at the boundary between thepatterned photoresist layer PRa and the patterned sacrificial layer SLa.As another example, an upper portion of the patterned sacrificial layerSLa may be formed to have a greater width in the x direction than alower portion of the patterned sacrificial layer SLa, and thus thepatterned sacrificial layer SLa itself may form the undercutcross-section UC.

The patterned sacrificial layer SLa may be formed to expose at least aportion of the pixel group Pg constituted by auxiliary pixels Pa andcover the third hole H3 included in the pixel defining layer 119 or thefourth hole H4 included in the planarization layer 117.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10F, the intermediate layer 222′ including anemission layer is formed on the patterned sacrificial layer SL of FIG.10D and the patterned photoresist layer PRa.

In this operation, the intermediate layer 222′ is formed not only on anarea corresponding to the transmission portion TA of FIG. 6 but is alsoformed to correspond to each of the auxiliary pixels Pa arranged in thesensor area SA and each of the main pixels Pm of FIG. 1 arranged in thedisplay area DA of FIG. 1.

The emission layer of the intermediate layer 222′ may be formed invarious ways, for example, vacuum deposition.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10G, opposite electrodes 223 p and 223 p′ areformed in the area corresponding to the transmission portion TA of FIG.6 and an area corresponding to the pixel group Pg, and passivationlayers 310 p and 310 p′ are formed on the opposite electrodes 223 p and223 p′.

In this operation, the opposite electrodes 223 p and 223 p′ and thepassivation layers 310 p and 310 p′ formed on the entire surface of thesubstrate 100 discontinue around the undercut cross-section UC of FIG.10E of the patterned photoresist layer PRa and the patterned sacrificiallayer SLa formed in the previous operation (see FIG. 10E).

Thus, the opposite electrodes 223 p and 223 p′ are spaced apart fromeach other with the second hole H2 therebetween to form the secondpatterns 223 p covering the pixel group Pg, and the passivation layers310 p and 310 p′ are spaced apart from each other with the first hole H1therebetween to form the first patterns 310 p covering the pixel groupPg.

An end of the first pattern 310 p of the passivation layer 310 on theside of the first hole H1 may be formed to cover an end of the secondpattern 223 p of the opposite electrode 223 on the side of the secondhole H2, and the first pattern 310 p and the second pattern 223 p may beformed to have respective thicknesses that decrease in a directiontoward the respective ends thereof.

The opposite electrodes 223 p and 223 p′ and the passivation layers 310p and 310 p′ may be formed to extend to the display area DA of FIG. 1 ofthe substrate 100. In other words, the opposite electrodes 223 p and 223p′ arranged in the sensor area SA and the opposite electrode 223 of themain pixel Pm of FIG. 4 arranged in the display area DA of FIG. 4 may beformed via the same process, and the passivation layers 310 p and 310 p′arranged in the sensor area SA and the first inorganic encapsulationlayer 310 of the main pixel Pm of FIG. 4 arranged in the display area DAof FIG. 4 may be formed via the same process.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10H, the patterned sacrificial layer SLa isremoved to form the transmission hole TAH in the transmission portionTA.

In this operation, as described above with reference to FIG. 10E, thepatterned sacrificial layer SLa is completely removed using a solvent,such as HFEs capable of etching fluoropolymer.

The same solvent as the solvent used in FIG. 10E may be used as asolvent for removing a sacrificial layer, but embodiments are notlimited thereto. A different solvent from the solvent used in FIG. 10Emay be used. In this operation, a solvent having low reactivity with theemission layer included in the intermediate layer 222′ may be used.

By removing the patterned sacrificial layer SLa as described above, thepatterned photoresist layer PRa, the intermediate layer 222′, theopposite electrode 223 p′, and the passivation layer 310 p′ locateddirectly on the patterned sacrificial layer SLa may be easily removed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10I, the encapsulation layer 300 including aninorganic encapsulation layer and an organic encapsulation layer isformed on the first patterns 310 p of the passivation layer 310.

When the embodiment of FIG. 10I is taken as an example, each firstpattern 310 p may function as the first inorganic encapsulation layer310 covering the pixel group Pg, the organic encapsulation layer 320 maybe formed on the first pattern 310 p, and the second inorganicencapsulation layer 330 may be formed on the organic encapsulation layer320.

However, in contrast with the embodiment of FIG. 10I, the encapsulationsubstrate 300 a of FIG. 8 or a combination of the encapsulationsubstrate 300 a of FIG. 9 and the filling material 300 b of FIG. 9,instead of the encapsulation layer 300, may be formed on the passivationlayer 310.

Through the processes of FIGS. 10A through 10I, an influence on theemission layer and the like may be reduced or minimized, and also thelight transmittance of the transmission portion TA may be improved dueto easy removal of organic and/or inorganic insulating layer located inthe transmission portion TA.

FIG. 11A is a schematic plan view of a display apparatus 2 according toanother embodiment. FIG. 11B is a schematic plan view of a displayapparatus 3 according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 11A, the display apparatus 2 may further include anopening area OA.

The opening area OA may be an area where a component 30 is arrangedunderneath the opening area OA. The opening area OA may be understood asa transmission area capable of transmitting light or/and sound that isoutput from the component 30 to the outside or travels from the outsidetoward the component 30. According to an embodiment, when light istransmitted through the opening area OA, a light transmittance in theopening area OA may be about 50% or greater, in more detail, 70% orgreater, 75% or greater, 80% or greater, 85% or greater, or 90% orgreater. The opening area OA is an area where no display elements arearranged, and thus may not provide an image. According to the presentembodiment, the opening area OA may be arranged inside the display areaDA, and may be surrounded by main pixels.

Also in a lower portion of the sensor area SA, the component 20 may bearranged. The sensor area SA may include auxiliary pixels arrangedtherein and thus may provide a certain image.

According to some embodiments, the light transmittance of the openingarea OA may be greater than that of the sensor area SA. Accordingly, thecomponent 30 benefiting from a high light transmittance, for example, acamera, may be arranged in the opening area OA, and a sensor that sensesinfrared light may be arranged in the sensor area SA.

Referring to FIG. 11B, the sensor area SA of the display apparatus 3 mayinclude an area where the component 20 is arranged, and thus may bearranged on one side of the display area DA. The sensor area SA may bearranged to correspond to one side of the display area DA, and aplurality of components 20 may be arranged in the sensor area SA.

Because the sensor area SA includes the auxiliary pixel Pa and thetransmission portion TA, the sensor area SA may provide an image with alower resolution than the resolution of the display area DA.

The opening area OA may be included inside the sensor area SA. Becausethe opening area OA has a high light transmittance compared with thesensor area SA, the component 30 sensitive to light may be arranged inthe opening area OA. The opening area OA may be surrounded by theauxiliary pixels Pa and the transmission portion TA. The opening area OAmay have a larger area than the transmission portion TA.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines D-D′ and E-E′ ofFIG. 11A.

Referring to FIG. 12, the opening area OA may include an opening holeOAH corresponding to the opening area OA. A width Wo of the opening holeOAH in the x direction may be greater than a width Wt of thetransmission hole TAH in the x direction. The opening hole OAH mayoverlap the entire area of each component 30, whereas the transmissionhole TAH may overlap a portion of each component 20.

The opening area OA may include a substrate hole 100H that penetratesthrough the substrate 100. Because the opening area OA includes thesubstrate hole 100H, the light transmittance of the opening area OA maybe greater than that of the sensor area SA. Accordingly, the component30 benefiting from a high light transmittance may be arranged in thelower portion of the opening area OA.

In the lower portion of the sensor area SA, the component 20 may bearranged. The component 20 may be an infrared (IR) sensor thattransmits/receives IR light. Because the transmission portion TA isarranged in the sensor area SA, the transmission portion TA may transmitan IR signal transmitted/received to/from the component 20. For example,light emitted from the component 20 may travel via the transmissionportion TA in a z direction, and light generated by outside a displayapparatus and incident upon the component 20 may travel via thetransmission portion TA in a −z direction.

As described above, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a pixel portion and a transmission portion having animproved light transmittance are arranged in a sensor area correspondingto a component such as a sensor, and thus an environment where thecomponent is operable may be established and also an image may berealized in an area that overlaps the component.

Thus, a display apparatus having various functions and an improvedquality may be provided.

However, the scope of the present disclosure is not restricted by thiseffect.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”,“third”, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements,components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components,regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms.These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, region,layer or section from another element, component, region, layer orsection. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or sectiondiscussed below could be termed a second element, component, region,layer or section, without departing from the spirit and scope of theinventive concept.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “under”,“above”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will beunderstood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of the device in use or in operation, in additionto the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the devicein the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or“beneath” or “under” other elements or features would then be oriented“above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example terms “below”and “under” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Thedevice may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at otherorientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein shouldbe interpreted accordingly. In addition, it will also be understood thatwhen a layer is referred to as being “between” two layers, it can be theonly layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers mayalso be present.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the inventive concept.As used herein, the singular forms “a” and “an” are intended to includethe plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “include,”“including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in thisspecification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

For the purposes of this disclosure, “at least one of X, Y, and Z” and“at least one selected from the group consisting of X, Y, and Z” may beconstrued as X only, Y only, Z only, or any combination of two or moreof X, Y, and Z, such as, for instance, XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ.

Further, the use of “may” when describing embodiments of the inventiveconcept refers to “one or more embodiments of the inventive concept.”Also, the term “exemplary” is intended to refer to an example orillustration.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on”, “connected to”, “coupled to”, or “adjacent” another elementor layer, it can be directly on, connected to, coupled to, or adjacentthe other element or layer, or one or more intervening elements orlayers may be present. When an element or layer is referred to as being“directly on,” “directly connected to”, “directly coupled to”, or“immediately adjacent” another element or layer, there are nointervening elements or layers present.

As used herein, the term “substantially,” “about,” and similar terms areused as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and areintended to account for the inherent variations in measured orcalculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill inthe art. Further, a specific quantity or range recited in this writtendescription or the claims may also encompass the inherent variations inmeasured or calculated values that would be recognized by those ofordinary skill in the art.

As used herein, the terms “use,” “using,” and “used” may be consideredsynonymous with the terms “utilize,” “utilizing,” and “utilized,”respectively.

Also, any numerical range recited herein is intended to include allsubranges of the same numerical precision subsumed within the recitedrange. For example, a range of “1.0 to 10.0” is intended to include allsubranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1.0 andthe recited maximum value of 10.0, that is, having a minimum value equalto or greater than 1.0 and a maximum value equal to or less than 10.0,such as, for example, 2.4 to 7.6. Any maximum numerical limitationrecited herein is intended to include all lower numerical limitationssubsumed therein and any minimum numerical limitation recited in thisspecification is intended to include all higher numerical limitationssubsumed therein. Accordingly, Applicant reserves the right to amendthis specification, including the claims, to expressly recite anysub-range subsumed within the ranges expressly recited herein. All suchranges are intended to be inherently described in this specification.

The display apparatus and/or any other relevant devices or componentsaccording to embodiments of the present invention described herein maybe implemented utilizing any suitable hardware, firmware (e.g. anapplication-specific integrated circuit), software, or a suitablecombination of software, firmware, and hardware. For example, thevarious components of the display apparatus may be formed on oneintegrated circuit (IC) chip or on separate IC chips. Further, thevarious components of the display apparatus may be implemented on aflexible printed circuit film, a tape carrier package (TCP), a printedcircuit board (PCB), or formed on a same substrate. Further, the variouscomponents of the display apparatus may be a process or thread, runningon one or more processors, in one or more computing devices, executingcomputer program instructions and interacting with other systemcomponents for performing the various functionalities described herein.The computer program instructions are stored in a memory which may beimplemented in a computing device using a standard memory device, suchas, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The computer programinstructions may also be stored in other non-transitory computerreadable media such as, for example, a CD-ROM, flash drive, or the like.Also, a person of skill in the art should recognize that thefunctionality of various computing devices may be combined or integratedinto a single computing device, or the functionality of a particularcomputing device may be distributed across one or more other computingdevices without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention.

In the following examples, the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis are notlimited to three axes of the rectangular coordinate system, and may beinterpreted in a broader sense. For example, the x-axis, the y-axis, andthe z-axis may be perpendicular to one another, or may representdifferent directions that are not perpendicular to one another.

While the inventive concept has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeas defined by the following claims and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising: a substratecomprising a display area and a sensor area, the sensor area comprisinga transmission portion that transmits light; a plurality of firstdisplay devices arranged in the display area; a display device groupcomprising a plurality of second display devices, the display devicegroup being arranged in the sensor area; and a passivation layercovering the display device group and having a first hole correspondingto the transmission portion, wherein the plurality of second displaydevices comprises a pixel electrode, an emission layer on the pixelelectrode, and an opposite electrode on the emission layer, the oppositeelectrode having a second hole corresponding to the transmissionportion, and an area of the second hole being greater than an area ofthe first hole.
 2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein thepassivation layer is on the opposite electrode.
 3. The display apparatusof claim 2, wherein the passivation layer covers the display devicegroup and has first patterns spaced from each other with the first holebetween the first patterns, wherein the opposite electrode correspondsto the display device group and has second patterns spaced from eachother with the second hole between the first patterns, and wherein anend of one of the first patterns on a side of the first hole covers anend of one of the second patterns on a side of the second hole.
 4. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: an organic insulatinglayer between the substrate and the pixel electrode; and a pixeldefining layer between the organic insulating layer and the oppositeelectrode and having an opening that exposes at least a portion of thepixel electrode.
 5. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pixeldefining layer has a third hole corresponding to the transmissionportion, and wherein the organic insulating layer has a fourth holecorresponding to the transmission portion.
 6. The display apparatus ofclaim 5, further comprising a plurality of insulating layers between thesubstrate and the organic insulating layer, wherein the plurality ofinsulating layers are below the fourth hole and has a fifth holecorresponding to the transmission portion.
 7. The display apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising an encapsulation layer on the passivationlayer, the encapsulation layer covering the plurality of first displaydevices and the plurality of second display devices and comprising aninorganic encapsulation layer and an organic encapsulation layer.
 8. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 7, wherein the passivation layer comprises asame material as the inorganic encapsulation layer.
 9. The displayapparatus of claim 1, further comprising an encapsulation substrate onthe passivation layer, the encapsulation substrate covering theplurality of first display devices and the plurality of second displaydevices and opposite the substrate.
 10. The display apparatus of claim9, further comprising a filling material filled between the passivationlayer and the encapsulation substrate, wherein the filling material hasa refractive index between a refractive index of the passivation layerand a refractive index of the encapsulation substrate.
 11. A displayapparatus comprising: a substrate comprising a display area and a sensorarea, the sensor area comprising a transmission portion that transmitslight; a plurality of first display devices arranged in the displayarea; a display device group comprising a plurality of second displaydevices, the display device group being arranged in the sensor area; anda passivation layer covering the display device group and having a firsthole corresponding to the transmission portion, wherein the substratefurther comprises an opening area surrounded by the display area, andwherein the opening area comprises a hole having a larger size than thetransmission portion.
 12. A display apparatus comprising: a substratecomprising a display area and a sensor area, the sensor area comprisinga plurality of transmission portions that transmits light; a pluralityof first display devices arranged in the display area; a plurality ofsecond display devices arranged in the sensor area; an oppositeelectrode integrally included in the plurality of first display devicesand a plurality of second display devices; and a passivation layer onthe opposite electrode and having a plurality of first holes, whereineach of the plurality of first holes corresponds to one of the pluralityof transmission portions, wherein the opposite electrode having aplurality of second holes, wherein each of the plurality of second holescorresponds to one of the plurality of transmission portions.
 13. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 12, wherein a display resolution of thesensor area is lower than a display resolution of the display area. 14.The display apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a buffer layer onthe substrate, the buffer layer is disposed corresponding to theplurality of transmission portions.
 15. The display apparatus of claim12, further comprising an organic insulating layer between the substrateand the plurality of second display devices, wherein the organicinsulating layer has a fourth hole corresponding to one of thetransmission portions.
 16. The display apparatus of claim 12, furthercomprising an encapsulation layer on the passivation layer, theencapsulation layer covering the plurality of first display devices andthe plurality of second display devices and comprising an inorganicencapsulation layer and an organic encapsulation layer.
 17. The displayapparatus of claim 16, wherein the passivation layer comprises a samematerial as the inorganic encapsulation layer.